core style series :: my style journey, part 1

In all honesty, when you approach style from a design mindset it’s hard to know where to start when describing your style.

Here’s why: The very things that matter most to me about my style could show up completely different in someone else because it's not really about the look. Saying I want it to look good is sort of the bare minimum bar for getting a style you love. So how do you describe a core style with clarity in all of its nuance?

If I go with describing the look, as is my inclination as someone who is very visual, you may not get clarity on what truly drives my style - the why.

But, if I start with the why, you might not be clear on the look and it'll all be too esoteric to be of any interest.

The magic in having a truly defined core style lies in the threads that connect the why and the aesthetic. The meaning and the look. The purpose and the execution.

And those threads are where the individuality and authenticity of style come into play. Those threads are what make up your core style. They aren’t always apparent to everyone else, but they always speak loudly to you.

How can you describe those threads? That’s hard.

(Side note: This challenge of sharing is part of the reason we default to the more surface level conversations around style. We don’t want to dig in always. We just want to know how to get a look and exude the amazingness that we see from people who are embodying their core style.)

Here’s how I’m going to attempt to share, and I’m going to trust that if it doesn’t make sense you’re going to say something so that I can try another approach. Because I’m not talking to myself here. This isn’t for me, although I’m certainly going to gain clarity in trying to flesh this out for you.

Deal? You'll let me know if this isn't making sense? Good. Here's how I'll do this:

I’m going to walk you through the two ends of the threads: the why and the aesthetic.

For the why, I think it is going to feel a little esoteric. These are non-visual ideals and desires and stories. How these play out in terms of style may not be immediately clear to you. So hang in there with me. Because if I don’t articulate the why then none of what's to come will make any sense.

For the aesthetic, I’m going to share with you my preferred aesthetic (look) without constraints. So this is the look that gets me all tingly without having taken into account if or how it fits my lifestyle or my why. So it may not look exactly like the style you see from me day after day which does take into account constraints.

Once I've shared and clarified both ends, I’m going to take you through the threads that connect them. This will be the good stuff where you really get to be inside my head and intuition and designer mindset to see how my style has evolved into what it is right now.

Just one disclaimer, though, before we jump in: The connections that I make, the threads that I weave may not be ones that work for you. I may be connecting some value I have with an aesthetic choice that are both very similar if not identical to yours. And I may create a thread that is dramatically or subtly different from the one that would be right for you. Mine is not wrong. Yours is not wrong. So resist the urge to judge. Creating the threads is more important than what those threads end up being. If you're inclined to judge, use your reactions to get an understanding of what you’re drawn to and why instead.